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Sony Xperia T (Photo credit: vernieman)

That's important, because smartphones are getting steadily bigger. The Xperia T's screen is 4.6 inches on the diagonal, giving it 323 pixels per inch (which passes self-imposed threshold to be called a 'retina' display). At least it's a full RGB matrix, and not a pentile display. That means you have some pretty stunning visual reproduction on the screen, and given the 720p resolution (1280x720 pixels) you've got a fabulous little machine for media playback, aided of course by having microSD support so you can pop all your HD movie files onto a 32GB SD card if you so wish.

Make no bones about it, the Xperia T is a big phone. The stylists have had their work cut out to craft some deceptive curves into the Sony handset. They've done a nice job, curving the back of the handset into a concave experience that guides your hand to the centre of the device and a comfortable grip. Power and volume controls sit under the ring and pinkie finger, feeling a bit like an old fashioned chorded keyboard.

Placing the heavier components at the top and bottom of the smartphone also helps the ergonomics while using the machine, and it is comfortable to hold for extended periods, assuming you are holding it in portrait orientation. Any length of time in landscape orientation can be tiring.

Unfortunately the sheer size of the Xperia T means that the design language Sony had used on their previous high-end Android device, the Xperia S (reviewed here on Forbes), has been lost. The potentially iconic clear plastic at the base of the unit, the convex back, and the packed feeling of that handset has been lost to a more masculine beast of a phone.

The Xperia T is not a pretty phone. It's very functional, but style plays a huge part in smartphone sales in today's market, and I think Sony have made a mistake by going back to the 'Arc' styling with the Xperia T. Before they had something graceful, with power and style to back up the good lucks. Now they have a Ford F-140 truck.

Those trucks are popular, but I don't think Sony's Android adventure is at the point where they can sell a brute of a phone. Even if they were, this is a brute with a number of weak points, and again I come back to that battery life. Practically this is not a phone you could trust to last from before sunrise to after sunset. It's almost expected that you'll top it up during the day, and after a few months of use that battery is going to be a bit short on capacity as it wears out. Don't forget most people will need this phone to last for the duration of a two year contract.

It's great to see Sony have moved on from Xperia S and are continuing to explore the Android smartphone space. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the Xperia T, but a mix of small issues and a backwards step in terms of design leaves me wanting more.

I think the best way to sum up the Xperia T is this. I know it could do everything I need it to do, I wouldn't be disappointed if this was my main phone, but given the choice I would probably stay with the Xperia S while waiting to see what Sony come up with next year.